Door opening apparatus



May 26, 1931.

J. M. LOEFFLEIVR DOOR OPENING APPARATUS Filed Aug. '7, 1930' '2Sheets-Sheet 1 i .1. i i

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BY 5 6 ATTORNEY May 26, .1931. J. M. LOEFFLER 1,807,121

I DOOR OPENING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 7, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 iNVENTORJosqafi MlbeffZex ATTORNEY Patented May 26, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENToFicE JOSEPH M. LOEFFLER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PEIINSYLVANIA DOOR OPENINGAPPARATUS Application filed August 7, 1930. Serial No. 473,618.

a 1911), but in such patented structure no provisions were made foradjustment of the apparatus to open the door to more than a singleangle, and further the speed at which the doors are opened by thepatented structure is too slow. My invention therefore has for itsobjects to provide a device ofthe general type of the Clay device which,however, will open the doors more rapidly; to provide a device which hasprovisions for opening the doors to a greater or lesser angle asdesired; and in general to render the operation of the device moreefiective and certain.

Other objects will in part be obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid obj ects and ends, my inventionconsists in the novel features of construction and combination,connection and arrangement of parts, hereinafter more fully described,and then pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a face view of a pair of closed doors with my inventionapplied.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with the door open.

Figure 4: is a detail view similar to Figure 3 with the opener adjustedto open the door through a maximum angle, in full lines, and through aminimum angle, in dotted lines.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail elevation of one of the openers.

Figure 6 is a detail plan View of the'vertical supporting rod andbracket.

In the drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate like partsin all of the figures, 1 represents the vertical supporting rod whichhas its angular ends 3 held in brackets 2 that are secured to the jambll of the door frame.

On the rod 1 is mounted a collar 4 secured by a set screw 5 and carryinga compound arm bracket 6 having a series of adjustment holes 7 arrangedin the arc of a circle having as its center the pivotal axis of thepivot 39 when the door is in the closed position.

A hearing sleeve 8 is swivelly mounted on the rod 1 and provided withrollerbearings 9 to reduce friction, a top collar 10 with setscrew 11being mounted on the rod 1 to protect the roller bearings when such areused.

The articulated arm comprises the inner section 12 and the outer section26 and the articulate oints 21, 23, 24, between these members 12 and 26.I The innersection 12 of the articulated arm has upper and lower studs13 around which the ends 15 of torsion springs 14: engage. The otherends 16 of the springs 14 engage the studs 17 on the tension nuts 18which have openings 19 in their faces to receive holding pins 20 thatengage corresponding apertures in the rod 1, and thus hold the nut 13 inany position in which it may be placed to take up or let out on thespring tension.

The arm 12 at its outer end has a forked socket 21 provided with aninclined stop 22 to cooperate with the inclined face of the tongue 23 ofthe rodsocket 25, the tongue 23 being pivoted to the socket 21 as at 24:and

constitutes, as it were, a rule joint.

The rod 26 is secured to the socket by suit able set screws 27, or inany other suitable way, and has its outer end passed through an opening29 in the door bracket 28 and engages the friction roller 30 of thebracket in the usual manner, there being a washer 31, bulfer spring 32,and buffer spring tension adjusting nut 33, provided on the outer andthreaded end 34 of the rod 26.

35 is what I term a compound arm having one end 36 curved and pivoted at37 to the 9 compound arm bracket by a connection 37 passing through oneof the adjustment holes 7. The other endof the compound arm 35 is angledas at'38 and has its end pivotedat 39 to the ear 40 on the socket25.

41 designates the door jamb, 42 the door, 43 the door hinge and 44 theaxis of that hinge.

In the practical use of my invention when the members have been dulymounted, it is determined to what angle the door 42 is to be opened andthe connection 37 made with the proper hole 7 so that when the door isthrown open to its maximum position it will he at the desired angle tothe closed position. By changing the fulcrum 87 from one to an other ofthe holes 7 the final angular position of the door may becorrespondingly varied.

Furthermore, assuming the door to Us closed, as soon as the door isreleased the springs it will begin to throw the articulated arm in adirection to move the door toward the open position. By reason of thecompound arm 35 the outer end of the articulated arm moves faster thanthe inner section of the articulated arm, with the result'that by thetime the inner section 12 of the articuated arm has moved through an arcof 90 the outer section 26 will have moved through an arc of 135 (whenthe parts are adjusted in the position shown in Figure 2 of thedrawings) v The arrangement of the holes 7 is such that an adjustment toeach hole gives a variation of about 22 movement to the outer armsection 26 and consequently of the door 42 By adjusting the pivotalconnection 37 to the innermost of the holes 7 the door is open to theleast angle and by adjusting the arm 35 to the outermost of the holes 7the door is moved to its greatest angle in approaching the openposition.

On returning from the open to the closed position, the door moves fasterthan the inner section 12 of the arm and reaches its closed position atthe same time the articulated sections of the arm come into alignment.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, it is thought the complete construction, op-(nation and advantages of my invention will be readily understood bythose skilled in the art. 1

lVhat I claim is:

1. In door openers, a rod fixed to thedoor jamb, an articulated armfreely pivoted to one end of said rod, a sliding connection be tweensaid arm and the door, a compound arm pivoted at one end adjacent saidrod and having its other end pivoted adjacent said arm between itsarticulation and its point of connection to the door, and a spring formoving said arm.

2. In door openers, a rod mounted on the door jamb, springs on said rod,an articulated arm mounted on said rod and rotatable about the axisthereof, a bracket secured to said rod, an arm having one end pivotedtosaid bracket and having 1ts other end pivoted to said articulated armbeyond the art1cula-.

tion, and a connection between said articulated arm and said door.

3. In door openers, a rod mounted on the door j amb, springs on saidrod, an articulated arm mounted on said rod and rotatable about theaxisthereof, a bracket secured to said rod, an arm having one end pivoted tosaid bracket and having its other end pivoted to said articulated armbeyond the articulation, and a connection between said articulated armand said door, said bracket having a series of adjustment holes toreceive the pivot of said second mentioned arm for the purposesdescribed.

4:. An automatic door opening device comprising a rod, means formounting said rod on a door jamb, operating springs mounted on said rod,an articulated arm pivotallymounted on said rod and engaged by said'springs. means connecting the free partof said arm to a hinged doorwhereby on release of the 'door said arm, under the influence of saidspring, will move the door on its hinge through a predetermined arc, andmeans cooperating with the aforesaid parts for varying the angle throughwhich said springs and arm will move said door.

5. An automatic door opening device comprising a rod, means for mountingsaid rod on a door j amb, operating springs'mounted on said rod, anarticulated arm pivotally mountedon said rod and engaged by saidsprings, means connecting the free part or said arm to a hinged doorwhereby on release of the door. said arm, under the influence of saidspring, will move the door on its hinge through a predetermined arc, andmeans cooperating with the aforesaid parts for varying the angle throughwhich said springs and arm will move said door, said means comprising acompound arm pivoted to said free part of said first mentioned arm, anda bracket on saidrod to whlch sa d compound arm is also pivoted JOSEPHM. LOEFFLER.

